Slow roasted harissa lamb shoulder recipe

Our harissa lamb shoulder makes for a tender and flavourful joint of meat that is served with potatoes for a crowd-pleasing one-tray roast. Lamb shoulder is a great cut for feeding a crowd on a budget, and the delicious juices give the potatoes and fennel a superb flavour boost. Harissa lamb shoulder uses harissa paste, a middle eastern ingredient made from roasted peppers and spices, to give a depth of flavour and spicy kick to the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 whole lamb shoulder, weighing approximately 2.2-4kg
• 3 preserved lemons, centres scooped out and discarded, skin roughly chopped
• 4tbsp harissa paste
• 4 shallots, peeled and halved
• 200ml white wine
• 1.2kg new potatoes, peeled and halved
• 2 bulbs fennel, quartered
• chopped parsley, to serve

For the pickle:

• 80ml vinegar
• 50g sugar
• 300g radishes, halved
• 3 fronds of dill

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. For the lamb: blitz together the preserved lemons and harissa paste in a spice blender, to form a rough paste. Cut incisions in the lamb and spread over the paste. Leave to marinate for at least an hour or overnight.
2. Put the shallots, wine and 125ml water in a roasting dish. Sit the lamb on top, tucking the shallots underneath. Cover with foil and roast for 20 mins, then turn down the oven to 150C and cook for a further 3 hours.
3. An hour before the end, add the new potatoes and fennel to the lamb in the roasting tin, making sure they all have a good glaze of the lamb juices. Return to the oven, cover with foil, and cook for the final hour.
4. For the pickle: heat the vinegar and sugar, add the radishes and dill and leave to stand for 30 mins.
5. Carve the harissa lamb shoulder and serve, topped with the chopped parsley, with the potatoes, fennel and pickle.